Courteney Boots, Selous

[CBH Australia]

Hi, are there any fans of Courteney boots?
I’ve seen the Rigby tagged ones listed in Australia and with a little more research I found there Courteney boots.
There is an Australian Courteney Boot Company, distributor, Malcolm Nott is the owner and was most helpful.
Back one step spent 2 days researching these and others, I own a pair of Cabelas by Miendl. High cut and they are good.
I liked these Courteney being all leather and Mine are one colour not 2 tone. I only got home last night but they were here waiting for me due to Malcom prompt service and parcel post doing their bit.
Haven’t been far in them yet but I read the reviews and the country I see in media in Africans similar to where I hunt so I hope they are as quiet as they say.
I have to go to the city for a week, (Adelaide) i wmay wear them there. I walk while on holiday so It will be interesting.
I’m hoping to get a set of 2 tone Patrol that the stockist has on order for stock. They will be weeks off so I get to break these in then decide if I want to purchase another, that would leave the Selous as an office/field boot.
If I get to Africa in a few years I will have both, all going well I will go there when I am 50, it’s never to late I guess.
I have been on the African Sporting Creations website. They have some really nice gear and reputation for service but the exchange rate and freight would be hard on us aussies but I’d like to but some of their leather goods.

 

[Adrian]

There are quite a few Courteney fans here.
I bought my pair last year, wore them hunting and am looking forward to wearing them again this year.
In the UK you can only get them from either Rigby or Westley Richards and they are tagged with the respective gun maker's label.
I preferred the one colour boot and got my Safari model from Rigby. I got the insoles from Westley Richards because I found them to be a little looser than what I like to walk in.
They're an expensive accessory for us in the UK but worth it for the foot comfort in the deep sand, long grass and hot rocks.

 

[rookhawk]

I love them, others don’t. Perhaps it’s one of options and fit. If you’re 5’10” and 165lbs you have limitless shoe choices and you probably don’t think much about good footwear much.

If you’re 300lbs, nearly 7’, and you wear a 15.5 shoe you care a lot.

I’ve never worn a finer pair of boots. I have two pair and that’s what goes on safari or any dry weather hunt.

Another feature: they don’t smell. If you wear them all day, they smell like clean fresh leather. There is nothing in them to foster microbes and stink like the synthetic fabric junk we buy in the west. I’m sure I have 200 hunting miles on my one pair and they are now perfectly broken in like a great baseball glove. One pair is so broken in I will only wear them hunting so they stay perfectly broken in, 50% used up, forever. The other pair is 30% used up and will be dedicated to hunting only when they hit 50%, forcing me to buy another pair.

I also have two pairs of their casual shoes in hippo and elephant. I wear them with jeans all the time for great all day comfort.

Longwinded way to say I think very highly of them.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Rookhawk is correct, They are the best, there Selous is the top of the line, they will last you a lifetime! Of course that depends on how long you live any way it is never a sad day when you buy a new pair! You can also be sure that your new pair will be just like your old pair!

 

[Bushpig4Ever]

I have the Selous, since app. 15 years, wouldn‘t buy other boots, never ever.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I have the Safari model. I have a thin low volume foot, so I had to add insoles to mine.
I need to try the narrow model, but they don’t show it in my size.
My main complaint, as I have written before, is the tire tread is a bit noisy and picks up pebbles constantly bringing them into the house or lodge. I would prefer the ripple version for this reason.
I guess it really depends on the terrain you hunt. If it’s the sandy Kalahari, it may not make any difference.
A second complaint is if you hunt steep rocky terrain, they have little ankle support.

Still, I like them. I’m thinking of having a custom narrow pair made with the ripple sole.

 

[tarbe]

I have the ripple sole and am happy with the design.

I love the wide toe box on the Courteney boots. It seems to help keep the Morton’s Foot symptoms at bay for me.

 

[rookhawk]

Just so you guys know that are Americans...we do things differently than the Africans as you know.

Most PHs wear short boots (like the Selous) and they wear gaiters to prevent thorns/seeds from falling into the boots. They then wear rugby shorts that are two sizes too small. (it's the PH / Male Stripper at Chippendales look)...Then the PHs donate blood all day on acacia thorns in their short-shorts which is the African way.

What I did is I special ordered a Courteney Selous in combat boot height. Some days I'd wear long pants, some days I'd wear cargo shorts and no gaiters. It worked great for me and it gave me desperately needed ankle support since I'm not as fit/strong as a PH.

This is not the "Patrol" model that is very thin, this was special order Selous boots in combat boot height. It really helps avoid the need for gaiters and prevents twisted ankles. Your preferences may differ.

 

[rookhawk]

This is what my custom Corteney boots look like.

 

[gizmo]

I loooooove my Courtney’s. Best pair of hunting boots I’ve ever owned.

 

[African Sporting Creations]

Gentlemen,

This is Jim from African Sporting Creations and we are the US distributor for Courteney boots. We stock their 20 best selling styles and have over 400 pairs in Ohio. I was a customer before I became their distributor and love their product. If you have a wide or narrow foot, flat or high instep or toes that point skyward of lay flat we can typically get you in a pair with some combination of insoles, socks and sizes. For first time customers you order one pair we send you two and you decide what fits best.

Shipping to AU is expensive and whatever the actual shipping versus what we charged initially is what you pay as issue a refund is there is a difference. Our site is www.africansc.com and have a few new models coming from Courteney again this year.

Best Regards,

Jim

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I loooooove my Courtney’s. Best pair of hunting boots I’ve ever owned.

+1

 

[Dewald]

In 2007 I bought my first pair of Courteney Boots. Since then they have accompanied me on almost every hunt. Roughly 80- 100 days a year since 2012. They’ve hiked the Fish river Canyon in Namibia, the Otter trail and a few more. They have toured Europe and Canada 3 times and I swam through the Tugela and Msunduzi rivers with them when hunts went “interresting”.

I’ve worn them fighting fires, retrieving hundreds of animals out of wet grass or in the rain, and they’ve had litres of blood come onto them over the years.

In 2012 the soles came loose on a hunt, so I stuck them back with Sica-flex and filled them with lead shot to set. This makeshift plan held for a good two years before I repeated it again.

Eventually in March 2018 they retired, as I had bought a new pair of Selous when the Rowland Ward store closed in Johannesburg for a third of the typical retail price. A month later at the Huntex show I spoke to Gale Rice, the owner of Courteney, and a lovely person. I mentioned how happy I was with their service, and how well they served me. To my great surprise, Gale mentioned that the soles should never have come loose, and told me to send them back to be resoled, and refurbished at no cost!

If that wasn’t enough, I looked at some Warrior models at their stall, which were end of range and selling at a discount for R1100. They didn’t have a UK 11&1/2 though, wich was a pitty as I would have liked a lighter boot as well. Again Gale astounds me by saying “No problem - we’ll make you a pair at the sale price. Would you like a tractor or ripple sole?”

Well. It took a month and a bit to make and send the Warriors, and repair my Selous. This is largely due to limeted postal and courier services in Zimbabwe. I couldn’t believe the Selous that came back were my old battered pair, and they seemed to be ready for another 12 years. The laces and soles, as well as the panel over the toe box were replaced.
This is the quality and service you pay for.

The old pair, a few years before retirement. They were battered far worse.

After repair:

Neat new stiching all around.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I am using Courteney boots, Safari. These are great boots.

 

[CBH Australia]

Thanks all,
I needed to get the width to break a bit and have crappy feet. All good now

Please tell me about the Patrol being thin???

Our Australian distributor has some on order for stock. He’s going to Send pics when they arrive.

Wearing my Selous walking at work (dry Australian bush) will hunt in them and wear to town/office etc

I like high boots and thought I’d use the cheaper Patrols for hunting and regular use. If I ever travel overseas I’ll wear a set and carry spare.

Why is it people keep saying these people involved with Courteney are nice? Jim addressed us as Gentleman, Gale is described as a Lovely person and Malcom Knott the Australian distributor provided outstanding mail order service.
Are they making squillions off these or do they just treat us well because we do our research and are particular about our needs.
Whatever the reason I’m glad I tried them.

Jim, I found your site a few years back it’s saved in favourites. I’m fascinated by the romance of Africa if that’s what they call it, the beauty, the landscape and the Golden Era of Hunting,

You show some beautiful products , inlay slings, shooting sticks and campaign furniture.

The Aussie dollar exchange rate makes it hard. But my feet are not going to grow and I always wear boots so that’s my way of justifying buying 2 pair in as many months.

Have you ever displayed at gun shows in Australia to promote your business? We are a small population and economy compared to the USA but I’m sure there are international companies attend these although I haven’t been yet. Actually it’s probably a good place to start for me for safari planning.

I’m not wealthy but hoping to do a cull hunt . Africa when I turn 50 in about 3 years time. Never to late to start and “The kids will only waste it”

I don’t need the trophies or added expense it’s the experience that will stay with me!

Jim

Gentlemen,

This is Jim from African Sporting Creations and we are the US distributor for Courteney boots.
Our site is www.africansc.com and have a few new models coming from Courteney again this year.

Best Regards,

Jim

 

[Rimbaud]

Great boots. Have the Selous. Quiet. Light. Almost moccasin like

 

[Dewald]

Why is it people keep saying these people involved with Courteney are nice? Jim addressed us as Gentleman, Gale is described as a Lovely person and Malcom Knott the Australian distributor provided outstanding mail order service.
Are they making squillions off these or do they just treat us well because we do our research and are particular about our needs.
Whatever the reason I’m glad I tried them.

The sad thing is this successful business 101 knowledge nl.
1. Have a good product
2. Be friendly and helpful to customers, and give good service

had become the rare exception to the norm.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Earlier this year I decided after reading all the reports on Courtneys I wanted to try a pair. I contacted Jim at African Sporting Creations, he sent me a trial pair of Safaris. They fit ok I thought and I emailed him with a couple of questions. His reply was, I will send you 3 different inserts and another pair to try. See what works best and send back what doesn’t work. All of this not even knowing me. I got a pair that fits perfect. Just sent Jim another email about a pair of Selous and he is sending a trial pair of them.
Jim at African Sporting Creations has been great to deal with and done what ever is needed to get me fitted into Courtneys. I will recommend them to everyone.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

That's how business is done.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I don’t need the trophies or added expense it’s the experience that will stay with me!

I’m a great granddad x2. That’s my sentiment exactly! Not enough time left in my life to waist another hunt vs a bunch of stuff to hang on walls I don’t have.